Legendary classical & 12 string guitarist Ralph Towner returns to solo guitar with the release of his latest ECM Records album, My Foolish Heart. Though he's collaborated with many noteworthy artists over his long career, including a lengthy spell with chamber/jazz outfit Oregon, it's always been his solo guitar records that have garnered the most attention. My Foolish Heart is a lush, majestic collection of songs, most being new compositions but a few re-interpretations of old Oregon favorites and the title track standard by Victor Young are also included.
The lovely melodies of "Pilgrim" are enchanting yet mysterious, as Towner's fingers fly about the fretboard creating incredible tapestries of sound, and the more upbeat, jazzy "Saunter" even manages to slot a little groove into the mix. The title cut is lovely, the guitarist relying on pastoral chords and triple note melody lines to generate plenty of emotion, while speedy runs and impeccable finger picking technique drive the charming "Dolomiti Dance". The two Oregon tracks, "Shard" and "Rewind" are both lovely, slightly naked seeing as it's just Towner, but no less engaging, and "Ubi Sunt" is another prime example of Towner's amazing technique, the guitarist throwing in some effective use of harmonics and varying shades that never fail to impress. Toss in the gorgeous tribute to Paul Bley in "Blue as in Bley", and you have another stellar journey into solo guitar perfection from one of the worlds musical treasures. If you have a penchant for acoustic classical/jazz guitar music and have never investigated Ralph Towner, My Foolish Heart is a great place to start!
Track Listing
01 Pilgrim
02 I'll Sing To You
03 Saunter
04 My Foolish Heart
05 Dolomiti Dance
06 Clarion Call
07 Two Poets
08 Shard
09 Ubi Sunt
10 Biding Time
11 Blue As In Bley
12 Rewind
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